The crazy hot weather--that we've either loved or hated--turned on us last night, when the record-high 90-degree temps dropped and all hell broke loose. The high winds came whipping in across Puget Sound, knocking out the power to either 12,000 or 14,000 folks in Thurston, Pierce and south King County. Seattle City Light reported that power had been restored to customers in west and north Seattle, while about 25 percent of Rainier Beach is still left to be recovered from the dark. more ›

The folks with Puget Sound Energy wanted to send a friendly reminder to be safe with your helium-filled Mylar balloons and kites this spring. No joke. Apparently, those pesky balloons (and kites) like to escape, floating up and away into high-voltage power lines, creating one colorfully charged safety hazard. PSE said Mylar balloons account for several outages per year. So hold on to your balloons and remember never fly kites near electric lines, in the rain, or during an electric storm.
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• Hello, weekend windstorm! The neighborhood blogs were aflutter about wind damage, power outages, and waves crashing over 520.
• The Rainier Valley Post has their weekly must-read letting you know what your City Council Member is scheduled to be up to this week. Looks like an exciting week at the City Council, covering topics such as sidewalk cafes (right in time for winter!) and the Mercer mess.
• MetBlogs has something about free money--which automatically makes us click off, fearful of what identity scam is coming next. But at quick glance, it appears to be legitimate--show up and get $10 and there is some pay-it-forward aspect to the scheme.